About my book

Overburden

Modern Life on the Iron Range
Winner of the 2008 Northeastern Minnesota Book Award

By Aaron Brown

A 21st century memoir of a place and a people:

The Iron Range is a string of blue collar towns along an iron formation in northern Minnesota, many of which formed in the early 1900s amid an influx of immigrants who came to work the iron mines. As the Iron Range gets older, change approaches. Today’s generation of Iron Rangers must bridge the gap between then and now, what we know and what will one day be. From the global economy to climate change this unusual place and its unique people represent an important part of the next century. The generation that will enact this change, however, faces many difficult contradictions. That’s the subject of a new book by Aaron Brown called “Overburden: Modern Life on the Iron Range.”

What’s it like to be a blogger in a place where most people still don’t use the internet? What do you do when you love where you’re from but see an outside world full of possibilities? How can you shape the future when the people of your town can’t stop talking about the past? In stories that range from the global to the deeply personal, earnest to humorous, light to bold, Brown seeks to share the story of his people and family while charting the history and future of the Iron Range and places like it.

Aaron J. Brown is a fifth generation Iron Ranger, currently helping raise the sixth generation of Browns on the Iron Range. A columnist and past editor for the Hibbing Daily Tribune and regular commentator for KAXE radio, Brown has worked in northern Minnesota media since he was 16. He now teaches at Hibbing Community College and runs a blog (MinnesotaBrown.com) from his home in rural Bovey. He and his wife Christina have three sons.

Press / Reviews

"This is a collection of wonderful essays written by Aaron Brown about growing up and living on the Iron Range in modern times. His narrative is oftentimes moving and also very funny. He gives both those from the Range and those who have never been north of Duluth the incentive to think about the Iron Range in a new light. He has written a highly enjoyable book that presents a unique understanding of the region, its people, history, and future."
Judges' Comments, Northeastern Minnesota Book Awards (2008 winner in Creative Nonfiction)

"Brown’s writing focuses on how today’s Iron Rangers must bridge the gap between then and now, from the global economy to climate change. 'It takes a look at how the younger people of the Iron Range will need to adapt to changes' during the next century, [Laurentian Center for the Arts board member Mary] Reynolds said. 'He’s an exciting young author.'"
~ Mesabi Daily News

"The works reflect on the Iron Range, not only as a geographical spot on the map, but the Iron Range mentality, a way of life and a way of dealing with life ... Interesting concept, overburden. If you're at all familiar with mining, you know that overburden is the material you have to remove or dig through to get to the valuable ore. In many ways, Aaron's book strips away the mystery of the Iron Range and explains its people and its ways in light-hearted ways.
~ Paul Wahl, Community Editor, Eden Prairie (Minn.) Sun Newspaper and "Wahl Street Journal" blog

"Brown is among a handful of energetic Northland creators who draw energy from their Northland communities and who, in return, sustain those communities. Aaron Brown, in "Overburden," is both representing the Iron Range to the world outside and calling the Iron Range into the 21st century, to stand up and take its place among the historic communities not just of Minnesota, but perhaps the entire U.S."
~David Beard, the Reader Weekly of Duluth

"(Brown's) writing is older and wiser than his twenty-eight years would suggest. He's also funny. You should read this book."
~ John Ramos, The Transistor (Duluth, Minn.)

"The Iron Range has found its voice in Aaron Brown. The kid with Coke-bottle glasses who was raised in a trailer next to his parents' junkyard has grown up to write a ferocious, loving anthem to his home region. Historical, political, deeply personal, "Overburden" is rich with details but sizzles with narrative drive. Oddly enough -- or maybe not -- Brown, as author, has all the qualities we look for in a great hockey player: guts and heart, vision, skills, and speed. Rangers will see themselves in this book. Outsiders will be stung by envy."
~Barton Sutter, former poet laureate of Duluth, MPR contributor and author of the award winning regional bestseller "Cold Comfort"

"Literary Pick of the Week: Aaron Brown"
(By Mary Ann Grossman, St. Paul Pioneer Press, March 8, 2009)

Archive: The Mark Heaney Show with guest host Eric Pusey
(Original air date: Nov. 12, 2008, KTNF Twin Cities)

'Overburden' author puts human face on Iron Range
(By Beth Bily, Business North, Oct. 23, 2008)

Aaron Brown's new book a 'rally call' to young Rangers
(By Marie Nitke, Grand Rapids Herald-Review, Oct. 15, 2008)

Business connections
(By Maria Lockwood, Superior Telegram, Oct. 15, 2008)

Archive: RealGoodWords interview with Heidi Holtan
(Original air date: Oct. 8, 2008, 91.7 KAXE)

A 'rally call' for a prosperous Range future
(By Jeff Warner, Hibbing Daily Tribune, Oct. 12, 2008)

PUBLISHER'S PRESS RELEASE:

New book explores the heart and soul of Minnesota's iconic Iron Range

DULUTH, Minn. -- A new book by accomplished Iron Range newspaper columnist and radio commentator Aaron Brown seeks to breathe life into the region's storied history for another generation. "Overburden: Modern Life on the Iron Range" was released by the upstart Duluth publishing house Red Step Press. The book combines humor, history, personal stories, Range characters and original observations about Minnesota's most unusual region.

"I'm the fifth generation of my family to live and work on the Iron Range and I'm helping raise the sixth," said Brown. "I'm also the first in my paternal line to never work in a mine, all while making a living off of the Internet. That's where the idea for this book came from. I have come to love the stories and traditions of our past, but the present and future will require a new generation to step up."

Brown, 28, is a columnist for the Hibbing Daily Tribune, where he served as the state's youngest daily newspaper editor from 2001 until 2003. In addition to the column, Brown now teaches communication courses at Hibbing Community College. For the last three years he's been an essayist and contributing producer for the KAXE radio program "Between You and Me." He's also the founder and editor of the Iron Range's only news and politics blog, MinnesotaBrown.com.

"Overburden" features original essays on topics such as Range culture, work ethic, politics and history, all from Brown's uniquely humorous but sincere perspective made popular in each Sunday's Hibbing Daily Tribune. Additionally, Brown weaves his story of growing up in a trailer house on his family's junkyard with the history and sentiment of the Iron Range. The book also features some of Brown's best work from the Tribune and his weekly essays on KAXE, Northern Community Radio.

"Overburden" is being published by Red Step Press, a new publishing company out of Duluth, Minnesota. The book will be available through www.bn.com as well as at bookstores throughout the area and other major online booksellers. To learn about Aaron Brown, click here.

CONTACTS:
Aaron Brown, author

Lindsy O'Brien,
publisher

Written inquires to: Red Step Press, P.O. Box 7103, Duluth, MN 55807